With the rise of Internet use, child pornography on the Net has been growing. It is estimated that there are 80,000 pornographic sites on the World Wide Web.

By Chitaporn Vanaspong

(24 Jun 98 11:37)

Sam Manzie was 14 years old when he first met 43-year-old Stephen Simmons in an Internet Chat Room. Sam lived in New Jersey, Simmons lived in Long Island. Shortly afterwards, Simmons persuaded Sam to meet him and they did so for the first time on 10 August 1996. Sam was sexually abused. They met for sex several times again between August and December 1996, usually at motels. Simmons took photographs of Sam in the nude.
In August of 1997 Sam's parents discovered what happened. They arranged for him to have counselling and informed the police who then seized Sam's hard drive looking for evidence against Simmons.
In September Sam warned Simmons that the police were coming after him.
On 24 September, Sam's parents tried to get him committed for psychiatric help: he was full of rage and remorse. The authorities refused to admit Sam to hospital. On the same day Simmons was arrested in New York.
On 27 September, an 11-year-old boy from the neighbourhood called at Sam's house to sell candy to raise funds for his school.
Sam lured him into the house, sexually assaulted him and then killed him. Two days later the police found the body near by.
Sam was charged with murder. Further charges were laid against Simmons.
('Child Pornography on the Internet' by John Carr)
Child pornography on the Internet has come to light recently because the Internet itself is developing so rapidly. In the last decade, it has gone from being an obscure resource used occasionally, mainly by academics, to being a mass medium used by approximately 100 million people globally. The figure is growing every month.
The Internet has become a place where child pornographers and child abusers go to look for victims. According to a study by US Customs, 80% of all users of child pornography are themselves child abusers.
'There is no doubt that what happens to children in front of the screen, in cyberspace, is as important and worthy of our attention as what happens to children in the real world,' said John Carr in his paper on 'Child Pornography on the Internet'.
The Sam Manzie case demonstrates this fact with chilling clarity. It is a case of 'chicken hawking', which is an abusive term used by paedophiles to describe their use of Internet Chat Rooms to make connections with children that lead on to sex abuse and/or child pornography.
Moreover, child abusers and pornographers create a demand for child pornography. The child abuser often ends up visiting the countries of the South looking for children in the real world.
Child pornography on the Internet has been growing with the rise of Internet use. According to a leading Internet consultancy, Dublin-based NUA Ltd, by the end of 1997 there were roughly 100 million Internet users worldwide. Sixty-four million Internet users are in the US and Canada, 20 million are in Europe, and only 14 million are in Asia and the Pacific.
At the same time, Cheng Kwan Chen, president of Tsuan Chi company in Taiwan, estimated that there are 80,000 pornographic sites on the World Wide Web. At least 200 new pornographic sites beam into our life every day.
The challenge of computerised child pornography and the Internet was raised at the international level at the World Congress Against the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children which was held in Stockholm in August 1996. One hundred and twenty-two governments adopted an Agenda for Action in which they agreed to '...develop, strengthen and implement national laws to establish the criminal responsibility of service providers, customers and intermediaries in child pornography, including the possession of child pornography'.
The commitment to eliminate child pornography on the Internet has led to various steps being taken or planned. A number of non-governmental organisations are working in close cooperation with governments, police officers and other experts to combat crime on the Net.
Some governments have moved to fight the problem. In 1997, an innovative new law was passed in Germany to deal with child pornography via the Internet. In the US, the FBI has increased the number of staff members committed to combating computer-related exploitation of minors by 50%. In the UK the Association of Chief Police Officers has established a special working group on computer crime, with a special emphasis on child pornography and paedophile activities.
Even the Internet industry sees the continued presence on the Internet of child pornography and paedophiles as an obstacle to the growth of the Internet market worldwide. As the President of American Online, Steve Case, said: 'Let's face it, we're all parents ourselves, and we all want to work in an industry we can feel proud of.' Recently, Microsoft Web Browser incorporated free filtering and blocking software of a basic kind. Some Internet Service Providers are going to change their contracts with their members to give them the right to withdraw services if those members make inappropriate use of the service, such as supplying or seeking child pornography.
However, as the Internet respects no boundaries, much more needs to be done. Extraterritorial law and enforcement are required to tackle this crime effectively, as well as cooperation among governments, NGOs, and the Internet industry in working together to fight the problem. - Third World Network Features